Harbor Freight Reviews

Link: http://www.HarborFreightReviews.com

Item: Unfinished Fir Adirondack Chair
Item number: 97458
Retail price: $49.99
Target price: $29.99
With an extra 20% discount: $23.99
Item Link (currently unavailable)

Although assembling can be a nuisance (e.g., typical Chinese instructions, hole misalignment), the outcome is well worth the effort. This Adirondack chair has withstood its first Buffalo winter, emerging from under the snow in the spring looking like new. Solid construction, simple design, and generously contoured seat and arms make the chair not only substantially built, but very comfortable as well. It's rated for 250 lbs. but has been field tested by Harbor Freight Reviews to hold nearly 260 lbs with ease. And it fits the over-sized, middle-aged body quite well with its generously proportioned seat and back!

The chair requires finishing with either wood stain or paint. Our test product received four (yes four) coats of exterior latex paint after a primer coat and shows no signs of wear. The extra time in painting four coats is probably not necessary, but this chair is destined to remain outdoors throughout its life cycle. The wood seems very 'porous' and therefore needs a good priming coat before painting with regular paint. Similarly, a sealer should be used before staining.

Other online reviewers have been similarly pleased, two mentioning the chair has lasted several years without much wear. The price is unbeatable and the quality rivals that of chairs costing several times this amount. Harbor Freight also offers a matching rocking chair (item #97460), for those that just can't sit still. This chair goes on sale several times throughout the year, so the target price is not hard to hit if one is patient. And with an additional 20% discount obtained by using the widely available Harbor Freight coupons (The chair sale price does not require a coupon and therefore Harbor Freight allows the use a another coupon to discount their product further.), the chair is even cheaper than cheap.

Update: Buy-em if you can find-em! Our two Buffalo, New York Harbor Freight outlets have been sold out since the early part (before? as in lost loss leader) of their recent sale, and they're not expecting anymore shipments this season! Kiss those rain checks good-by.

Bottom line: Another great buy if you're willing to invest the time in assembly and finishing, but watch out for those Chinese holes.